Domestic equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended with marginal losses on Thursday as uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic kept investors cautious amid lack of directional cues.

After opening on a positive note, the BSE Sensex pared all gains to end 59.14 points or 0.15% lower at 38,310.49.

The NSE Nifty slipped 7.95 points or 0.07% to finish at 11,300.45.

Bharti Airtel was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, shedding over 2%, followed by Sun Pharma, ITC, SBI, Axis Bank, HDFC twins and Nestle India.

On the other hand, L&T rallied over 4%. Titan, HCL Tech, NTPC and UltraTech Cement were also among the gainers.

Indian markets opened on a positive note amid a mixed trend in Asian peers, but profit-booking emerged in the afternoon session, said Narendra Solanki, Head- Equity Research (Fundamental), Anand Rathi.

According to traders, lack of directional cues from global markets amid spiking COVID-19 cases kept investors on edge.

Bourses in Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul ended with gains, while Hong Kong closed in the red.

Stock exchanges in Europe were also trading on a negative note in early deals.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.20% lower at USD 45.34 per barrel.

On the currency front, the rupee settled on a flat note, edging just 1 paisa lower to 74.84 against the US dollar.